EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION

Richard Gelula is Executive Director of the National Sleep Foundation, a national not-for-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC.

Founded in 1990, the Foundation is dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving greater awareness of the need for sleep and of the effects of sleep disorders, and by supporting sleep-related research and advocacy. Gelula has been Executive Director since November 1998 and leads a staff of 14.

Gelula has served as a local and national executive in social welfare and health causes, including the Travelers Aid Association of America (1976-1984), Chicago Hearing Society (1984-1985), the Alzheimer’s Association (1985-1991) and the National Osteoporosis Foundation (1991-1996). He has also worked as a consultant to several health charities for strategic planning, development and executive recruitment (1996-1998).

A major focus of his efforts has been to integrate key nonprofit organizational components such as Board and staff functions, fund raising, communications, affiliate services, research and public policy initiatives with community outreach and inter-organizational relations. He has assisted organizations in identifying and employing their core competencies to effectively advance their missions. A skilled fundraiser, Gelula has developed multi-million dollar and on-going fund raising programs. He serves on the board of the Association for Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, and the National Health Council.

A native of Atlantic City, New Jersey, he completed his undergraduate work at the State University of New York at Buffalo where he majored in psychology. He then completed a master’s degree in social work at the State University of New York at Albany where his concentration was in management of human service organizations, public policy and social service planning. He participated in several additional post-graduate training programs for management and organizational development.

Gelula is married to Ellen Singer, a licensed clinical social worker, and they are the parents of two children.